Life throws its punches

Recently I had the chance to meet Jon from Slowbleed following a performance in Tucson. What a great experience that was, learning about him, his music, and his involvement with the 805. It was a humbling experience and a fun conversation as well. I reached out a little later to follow up on what we talked about in Tucson and ask some other questions.

How long has Slowbleed been a band?

“Logan (Guitar) and I wrote the first Slowbleed demo in mid 2016 and did nothing with it until about a year later. I lived out of the states for some time, and it just wasn’t a possibility to be a band.”

When writing and going through the creative process do you find it difficult to come up with material?

Not at all, I really love writing and it comes rather quickly. Living with Logan, at the moment, and hearing him riff everyday keeps things fresh and moving fast.

What message do you hope listeners gain out of your music?

This last year I thought I had lost everything. Some of the people closest to me were taken from me in a terrible accident, and I struggled a lot. I made mistakes, I found moments of weakness and moments of strength. I sing for people who wake up and face the world without the people they love and need the most. On their strongest days or their weakest days.

What got you into hardcore and punk music?

I have, for as long as I can recall, been drawn in by distortion and rough-around-the-edges imagery. I can’t remember a time in my life I didn’t love old metal music videos.Anything I could get my hands on from Punk, Grunge and Nu Metal on TV, to getting Death Metal CD’s from older friends. It wasn’t until the Alpine theater in my pre/early teens that I discovered hardcore.

What influences would you list as your sound for Slowbleed?

Funny enough we grew up in a very small agricultural community and kinda had to grab on to any heavy music available to us. I specifically remember trading around death metal CD’s in my pre-teens, and it wasn’t until about age 12 that friends and I discovered Oxnard hardcore bands at skatepark shows in Ventura. Logan has always been one that can play At The Gates riffs and Ozzy. He was my one friend at school rocking Carcass and Sepultura. The riffing has always been heavily technical for a hardcore band. The goal has always been to make hardcore with metal chops and metal with hardcore intensity.

In your most recent release, the lyrics seem to be personal, visceral, and full of emotion. Can you describe the process in writing songs like ‘In the night…’ or ‘Never Been Worse’?

Like I mentioned previously, I had some major loss, and I wrote that record mostly about my struggles with missing my girlfriend Raegan at the time. I was low and needed that record to keep my head up. I hope one day those lyrics help someone else out.

Are there any other releases hitting the airwaves, or any tours?

I can tell you now, there are several Slowbleed releases laying dormant until later this year and early next year. We also do a week with Piece Of Mind on the West-Coast next week.

What has been the most and least enjoyable parts of touring?

I’m lucky to play in a band with my best friends and tour is an absolute blast being stuck in a van with my fucking brothers. That being said, all of us are very busy folks at home and work far above full time. For me stepping away from work for a week or more leads to me having to play catch up on the road.

What have you read, watched, or listened to recently that you feel people need to be aware of?

805 hardcore forever. If you aren’t aware of all the sick releases coming out of this area you better educate yourself. Dead Heat, Omega Point, Minus, Downpresser and The Warriors all have new or unreleased records you can’t miss.


Speaking of music to help people get through a difficult time, the EP by this band is exactly that. Never Been Worse evokes pain, loss, and seeking hope in better times. This interview, and listening to this, couldn’t have come at a better time. I, myself, have been going through some difficulty and hearing this has brought about a feeling of connection. The release helped me further realize loss, difficulty, and tough times are occurrences that everyone goes through. This puts into words the many emotions I’ve felt over the last few weeks. With that being said, I couldn’t offer this enough for people to listen to.

Support this band!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SlowbleedCA

Bandcamp: https://slowbleedca.bandcamp.com/